Gennady E. Platoff

PLATOFF GENNADY EVGENIEVICH PLATOFF MD, MHA COL, U.S. Army (Ret.) Passed away on Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at his residence in Fairfax, VA. He was born in Kazan, Russia on Aug 11, 1921, the son of CPT Evgenie Platoff (Adjutant of the Russian Imperial Artillery School) and Tatiana Novikoff Platoff of the Imperial Theatrical Ballet of Petrograd. His family left Russia (1921) for Harbin, Manchuria after his father was killed in the Bolshevik Revolution. They emigrated to Canada and then the US. He grew up in Vancouver and Boston, graduated from Boston University and BU Medical School (1947). During this time, he danced with the Novikoff Ballet School at the NY Metropolitan Opera and at the 1939 NY World's Fair. He interned at Lincoln Hospital in NYC and did his residency at Detroit Receiving Hospital. He was a board certified Rheumatologist with specialties in Internal Med, Rheumatology, Executive Med and Hospital Administration (MHA, Baylor University). In 1942, Dr. Platoff was inducted into the U.S. Army and served in Alaska as a Coast Watcher. After World War II, he was honorably discharged and then re-joined the Army as a 1LT (1949). In 1950, he served in Korea as Chief, Triage Admission in the 1st MASH. His assignments included: Professor of Mil Sci, Wayne St University Med Sch; Beaumont Army Gen Hospital, El Paso, TX; Walter Reed Army Medical Center; Ft Monmonth, NJ; 196th Station Hosp in Paris, France as Chief of Professional Services/Hospital Commander and Personal Physician to the Ambassador; Ft Leavenworth, KS; 5th Army Headquarters, Chicago, Ill; Tehran, Iran as the Medical Consultant to the Imperial Iranian Military Medical Department; Ft Sam Houston, TX; Berlin, Germany as Hospital Commander; Vietnam, 24th Corps Surgeon and Commander of the 67th Evac Hospital; Tehran, Iran as Hospital Commander, and finally as the last Commander of Dunham Army Hospital, Carlisle Barracks, PA. COL Platoff's military highlights included his experiences with the 1st MASH in Korea (template for movie and TV series). In West Berlin, Germany, he was the personal US physician for Rudolph Hess at Spandau prison. During his military career, he was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, WWII Victory Medal, American Theater Campaign Ribbon, ND Service Medal (2), UN Korean Service Medal (2), Meritorious Unit Citation (2), 3 Overseas Service Bars, Army Commendation Medal (2), Vietnam Service Medal (3), Bronze Star (2), Vietnam Campaign Medal, WWII Occupation Medal, Vietnam Honor Medal, Legion of Merit. After 33 years in the U.S. Army, Dr. Platoff joined the State of VA Health Department as Assistant Health Director for Fairfax County. Subsequently he served as Director of Public Health for Falls Church, VA. COL (Dr.) Platoff is survived by his beloved wife of 63 years, Eudoxia "Donya" Platoff; his son Dr. Gennady E. Platoff Jr., COL, U.S. Army ret. (Ann) and daughter Tatiana Platoff Prokrym (David); brother Walter V. Wiese; grandchildren CPT Timothy Platoff, Larissa Platoff, Yuri Prokrym (Erica) and Kirill Prokrym. Friends may call on Monday, September 5 from 3 to 6 p.m. at St Nicholas Cathedral, 3500 Mass Ave, NW, Washington D.C. followed by a Memorial Service at 7 p.m. Funeral Service at the Cathedral on Tuesday, September 6 at 10:30 a.m. Internment at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, December 14 at 3 p.m. with full military Honors (assemble at the Administration Building at 2:30 p.m.). In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary Restoration Fund, P.O. Box 130, South Canaan, PA, 18459.